It was closing weekend for Sugarbush Parks at Mt. Ellen this weekend and there is no better way to have it than 50 degrees and sunny. The full family came together to enjoy the warm temps and slushy snow all day long and needless to say, everyone was smiling. Sugarbush parks worked tirelessly all year long to build and maintain what is one of the most creative and fun parks in the country. Shout out to the park crew for battling mother nature as she didn't necessarily cooperate this season.

A group of us mutually decided that ripping all day on hill wasn't enough, so we all headed back to town, grabbed our skateboards and met down at the Andy "A-dog" Williams Skatepark for a little sunset cruise. No better way to keep the stoke alive than hitting two of our favorites in one day. Peace! -Pete

This past week the crew packed the bags and headed to Whistler, BC. No one had been there before so it was a complete free for all.

Taylor, Neal and I arrived before the rest of the crew on Sunday so we decided to rent a car and drive the sea to sky highway on our way to the mountain. Needless to say it was possibly one of the most beautiful drives I have ever been on.

Monday morning arrived and the crew was in full effect heading up in the gondola. Our first mission was the infamous Peak to Peak Gondola ride. One of the longest unsupported lift spans in the world, the Peak 2 Peak stretches 1.88 miles with no towers at an elevation of 1,427 feet. Needless to say the views and the ride were nothing short of amazing.

Due to no new snow, we decided to stick to the Blackcomb park pretty much all day Monday. Sunny / warm park laps were in full effect. As we first laid our eyes on the park it seemed like we were in some sort of video game. Perfect jumps, endless rail lines, and hips / quarter pipes every where you look. The day flew by and before sending back to the condo we were in for one more Peak 2 Peak ride.

Tuesday morning rolled around and the crew was moving a bit slow and so was the weather. Cloudy and considerably colder than the day before, we weren't really in a rush to get out there. Our plan was to stick to the Whistler side and do some exploring. We went all the way to the peak and despite the lower visibility the views were still stunning. Finding our way down in the sub par snow it was time for me to pack my bags and head home.

The crew spent the rest of the week ripping and luckily Zento was there to keep snapping. Enjoy his snaps below.

LA times. This past week a few of us from the Driven Studio crew spent some time in Los Angeles with our good friends Ben & Jerry's, supporting them as they launched their new flavor, One Love. A few of us arrived a day early, and what is a trip to LA without a little bit of skateboarding. Dan and I met up with VT natives Cookie Colburn and Jordan Maxham for a few skate missions. Shoutouts to those guys for the awesome hospitality and the good hangs!After fulfilling our skateboarding itch, we linked up with the Ben & Jerry's crew for a quick check in for the next couple of days. Once complete the group decision was to head over to Venice beach for some sunset hanging. Come Monday morning it was time to get the show on the road with the Ben & Jerry's One Love Session. This consisted of the unveiling of the new flavor, performances from Aaron Nigel Smith, the One World Chorus, and Ziggy Marley and overall a night filled with positive peace and energy. Tuesday was set out to be a very busy day consisting of a One Love recipe photo shoot in the morning and the corresponding video shoot in the afternoon featuring two of Ziggy Marley's children. After wrapping up around 6 pm it was time to shift gears and head to the LA Dodgers game. What started out as a very slow baseball game, became very tense due to the 4 extra innings. LA came home with the win against the cardinals, and it was time for celebration. Not only celebrating their win, but celebrating what was an amazing week spent with some remarkable friends and coworkers. Peace! -Pete

Talent is one of the best indoor skateparks on the east coast offering up a little bit of something for everyone. From vert walls and bowls, to banks and street sections, 2 hour sessions just don't seem long enough to get a taste of everything. One of the biggest challenges about shooting photos there is the lighting. Shooting with the overhead lights creates grainy and sometimes blurry images, so using strobes is your best bet. The issue with strobes is if they aren't directed right at the subject, they start to bounce light around and create more distracting backgrounds. With this challenge comes experimenting and doing what skaters dislike most, asking them "can you do that one more time?" When you work with your friends it is a lot easier to ask that question even if they get a little salty about it. The past two visits at Talent have been epic! Thanks Hannah and Dave for creating such a rad environment! Peace! -Pete

It isn't often that people see / know what goes on in preparation for the World's Greatest Snowboard Event. The Burton US Open has been going on for 35 years now and this year I was lucky enough to get thrown in the mix a few days prior to the first official event. Here is a collection of photos including the people and machines that make the Burton US Open the World's Greatest Snowboard Event. Enjoy!-Pete

As the 2017 Burton US Open came to a close this afternoon I couldn't help but think back to how many cameras were their with their operators capturing The Worlds Greatest Snowboard Event. In the midst of editing I came a cross a series of images portraying some of the master lensmen of the industry.

When we heard Vans Hi-Standard was holding a stop at Carinthia parks we figured we would take an extra day to spend at one of the best parks on the east coast. Getting an early start on Friday morning, we loaded up and headed south. After a two and half hour drive, we were itching to ride. After meeting up with Carinthia Parks filmer Devin Bernard it was time to lap. Halfway through the day Devin and I broke out the cameras and met up with the homies to stack some shots. Starting in the infamous prospector, the squad was getting down on the pole jam to wall ride and eventually moving down to lower nitro. Battling the clouds all day it was a constant struggle exposing properly for the situation at be. Thank you to Devin for allowing all of us to crash at his families house, where we were able to recharge.

Saturday morning we packed the cars and it was back to the mountain. As we walked into the lodge where registration was happening, it was absolute mayhem. People from all over pushing to get their spot in the contest. The difference between the Vans Hi-Standard contest series and others is that it is completely free, AND they hand out FREE CASH. Despite the long and steep hike for the jump, competitors were all about that free $$$. At the end of the day it was Maggie Leon, Max Lyons, Nate Haust, and Vans rider Shaun Murphy, coming home with the big bucks. Congrats to all and thank you Vans and Carinthia for hosting such and awesome day! Peace! -Pete

With all of the weather reports, instagram photos, and snapchats of the west coast getting absolutely crushed with snow made me think there wasn't much hope for back east. Rising temperatures, and days of rain / wintery mix didn't leave us too stoked. Finally as the weekend approached there was snow in sight. A projected 5" overnight, turned into 8"+ in some areas. Back into the woods! Trekking deeper than I have been before into the Stowe backcountry we found ourselves with endless untouched lines. Enjoy! -Pete

In-between Christmas and New Years, when I wasn't being a couch potato, I spent some time with my film camera on the beach. Now in the summer the beach is packed and you are un able to decipher which umbrella is yours. In the winter it is a ghost town. All you can hear is the waves crashing and the wind blowing. It is an interesting scene and I recommend checking it out. Peace!Pete

Sunday we set out on a mission to play some pond hockey on Colchester Pond. With plenty of layers, sticks and skates, and beer in hand we were ready for a nice Vermont Sunday afternoon. With frigid temps and a slight breeze, standing still was not an option. For those without skates, a bonfire was a must. Bonfire on ice? Yeah I was pretty scared at first, but after a few hours of the fire going, less than an inch of ice was melted. With Green State Lager in hand it was time to take a little break around the fire. Some would think the last thing you want on a frigid day is an ice cold beer, but hey Any Season, Any Reason. Enjoy! -Pete

Yesterday was all time. Started with a 6am departure to Stowe Mountain for some early morning sunrise laps. Hoping for fresh snow, we hopped on the quad by 7:30. After 6 of the fastest more colder laps of my life we packed up the car and were on our way to Sugarbush.

With a 10:30 am arrival at Sugarbush we were pleasantly surprised to see no line for the Sunny D chairlift. After a few laps through the park, all the homies were geared up and ready to shoot. Nate Dugan, LJ Twombly, Kirk Teare, Mason Lemery, and Keegan Hosefros came out swinging. With smooth effortless style, the crew was making mine and Jack Whitneys job very easy. As the sun started to set, and the temperature dropped, we decided to pack it up and head to Blue Stone for an apres slice. 2 mountains 1 day...I know we can do more. Peace!-Pete

Every year it seems as if the Killington Parks crew out does themselves. This year I wanted get a behind the scenes look at the build of the Rails 2 Riches course. As we rolled back to the mountain around 6pm, Corey Tredtin, and the General AKA Rosey, were in the Pisten Bully Park Pro laying the land for what was going to be yet another next level set up. No matter what the temperature is, or what time it may be, the park crew is doing whatever it takes to complete the set up. This year's new feature started with a vision, and some leftover chainlink fencing that was getting pushed around the shop. It was an 8ft tall 20ft long fenced A-Frame wall ride.

Before setting this monstrosity of a feature, the crew had to cut out the metal supports they welded in, in order to keep the wall ride in tact. Working under a headlamp, with a metal grinder while kneeling in the snow, isn't necessarily what people sign up for. These are the types of things that spectators and competitors don't necessarily think of during the competition and that is why we have to take the time to thank our park crews for what they do. They are putting in countless hours in the cold, wet, snowy winter weather, to provide you with a terrain park you can enjoy. And on that note, thank you to the Killington Parks crew for building yet another amazing Rails 2 Riches set up. Peace! Pete

Amongst the chaos of Rails 2 Riches, the Killington Parks crew was able to craft yet another terrain park before Christmas. Despite the negative temps and blistering wind gusts the boys and I were able to snap a few shots in the freshly built Mouse Run. The park consisted of rails, bonks and one of the only/best early season jump lines on the east coast. After frozen toes, windy Poma laps, and near frostbite conditions, it was time to head down to the base lodge and prep for Rails 2 Riches. Running around, meetings, park build photos, and more closed out our day. Check back tomorrow for a behind the scenes look at the 2016 Rails 2 Riches course build. Peace! Pete

Rails 2 Riches! Possibly one of my favorite events of the year. Every December skiers and riders travel from all over the US and Canada to hit one of the most creative and well built set ups. Every year the Killington Parks crew puts together one of the most mind bending setups you could ever imagine, and yet people still manage to bring out their hammers. Stoked to see new and familiar faces lacing up Saturday morning. Below are a few snaps from the past couple of years. Hope to see you out there this weekend! Enjoy! Peace. Pete

Winter has been nothing but great to us the past couple of weeks. Continuously snowing week after week has put us in the woods before Christmas with enough snow to enjoy some deep turns. Over the past two weekends we have spent the majority of the day away from lift lines and in the woods creating some early season bootpacks. One of my favorite things to do is duck in the woods, ride as deep as we can, unstrap and hike up. It seems that most people think that the only way to ride untouched powder is if you are the first one on the mountain. But if you take some time and look around you suddenly become surprised as to what you can find. It may involve unstrapping and hiking a little, but trust me, it is worth it.

Last weekend was the first day spent in the woods and man it was a good one. Stumbling across a couple of rock drops that would normally only be doable in mid January was what made the day one for the books. Zach, Mike and Neal were absolutely sending it to make for some very photogenic situations.

Yesterday, Taylor, Neal and I warmed up on some groomers, went to the car, got the camera pack, and off we went. Not really knowing what we were going to find we stumbled upon a beautiful untouched couple of lines. Taylor and Neal unclipped and hiked around to keep their lines as fresh as possible. After hiking up for 10 minutes they stopped and were about to clip in, but they turned around and it just kept on going. Endless opportunities kept us in the woods for about 4 hours and left us with smiles on our faces as we landed on the Notch road and had to hike back to the car. Tired legs, snow covered gear, and high fives wrapped up one of the first of many successful missions. Peace!-Pete

As winter rolls in, Talent sessions are starting to become a more frequent occurrence. It is really nice to see a lot of familiar faces from the downtown park still ripping as the weather turns. You can always expect to see the Glenny's ripping it up after school until they shut the lights off. Tonight was especially nice because there weren't too many people so moving lights around and sitting in the middle of the skatepark is more acceptable. It also allowed Ivan to send the gap he has been working on the past couple of visits to Talent. After a bunch of roll ins and a couple of bails, it was smooth sailing over the deck and railing which most people find themselves resting on. Killer night with some cool cats! Peace! -Pete!

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone we can officially start getting ready for Christmas without jumping the gun. Now that we have our own apartment it was time to hunt for the perfect Christmas tree. After walking to the furthest corner we could have walked to, we found the one. Tossed it in the sled, wrapped it up, and tied it down. Tis the season! - Pete!

Next in line to hanging with the family, is moms baking. No matter what it is, it is always delicious and it is one of the things I miss most about living 4 hours away. After eating my way through pretty much everything with sugar in it for the past 22 years, I thought now would be a good time to start documenting her delicious masterpieces. Going through the process today we thought why not share these creations with the public. Check back in a couple of weeks for the start of the blog! Peace! -Pete!